These questions help you think about what to do when someone you know has behaviour which is challenging.
Positive Behaviour Support Cards
for people, their families
and their disability services
Understanding Me
WAiS acknowledges Uniting WA & Microboards Australia for their Strong People Behaviour Cards.
We thank them for their support to redesign the cards as the Understanding Me resource.
All About Me
Make posters about the person by answering the
questions on the green cards.
All About Me
All About Me
Write or draw on the person’s poster
• where they are from
• the name of their country
• their language
• their skin name, Aboriginal name or nick names
• what their country means to them.
All About Me
Write or draw on the person’s poster
• the people who are their family and their names
• the important family people
• what the person likes doing with their family.
Who could help you know more about the
All About Me
Do people know
Write or draw on the person’s poster
• where the person likes to live
• who the person likes to live with.
All About Me
Do people know:
Make a poster showing
• what makes the person sad • what worries the person
• how they let you know these feelings.
With your group, talk about all the ways the person lets you know they are feeling sad and worried.
When this is
All About Me
Do people know:
What makes me happy?
What I want to do
Make a poster showing
• what makes the person happy
• what they would like to do in the future • how they let you know these feelings.
With your group, talk about all the ways the person lets you know they are happy. You can put your ideas into a chart like this.
When this is
All About Me
Do people know
what I do for fun?
How I relax?
Make a poster showing • who are their friends
• what the person likes to do for fun • what relaxes the person.
With your group, think about more things the person could try with friends for relaxation and fun. You can put your ideas into a chart like this.
Joe’s friends are… For fun,
All About Me
Do people understand
the unique way I think?
How I respond to what’s
happening around
Make a poster about the person’s unique ways of thinking and acting.
Talk about
• what makes a difference to the person’s ability to control their thoughts, their decision making and actions
• early signs that the person may be going to behave in a challenging way
• how places or routines can be set up to help the person’s unique ways of thinking and acting
• how signs, touch or sounds can be used to help the person to settle • how the person learns new skills
All About Me
Do people know who
listens to me ?
Make a poster about the people who:
• listen to the person
All About Me
Write or draw on the person’s poster
• How the person identifies themselves – Consider using a Gender Passport or other resource
http://lgbtihealth.org.au/passport/
• How the person likes to be referred to – If you are not sure use they/them words
My Health and Wellbeing
All people are more relaxed and happy when they get: • good sleep
• the right food in the right way for them • enough water
• enough activity.
Some people may be more likely to have health problems such as epilepsy, allergies, ear infections, stomach reflux, sleep disturbances, monthly period pain and constipation. Some people with disability are also less likely than other people to be diagnosed and get treatment for these health problems.
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong,
like when the person has pain?
How does the person let you know?
Is the person free from ear infection?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong, like when
the person is sick or has a bad stomach?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do people know when something is wrong, like
when the person has mouth pain?
How does the person let you know?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do people know:
If I am eating the right
food for me?
Do you know when something is wrong, like when
the person is sick from eating the wrong food for
them, or from food that’s prepared in the wrong
way for them?
How does the person let you know?
What can you do to help them eat food that is right
for them?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong, like
when the person is sick from not drinking enough
water?
How does the person let you know?
What can you do to help them drink enough
water?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong, like when
the person is not getting good sleep?
How does the person let you know?
What can you do to help them get good sleep?
Who else needs to know this information?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong, like when
the person is sick or restless from not moving
enough?
How does the person let you know?
What can you do to help them be more active?
Who else needs to know this information?
My Health and Wellbeing
Do you know when something is wrong, like when
the person has sexual needs that are difficult for
them to manage?
How does the person let you know?
Who else needs to know this information?
Who can help the person with this?
My Family and Community
When your family is getting good help, everyone
will probably all feel stronger and more relaxed.
That’s good for your family member.
My Family and Community
When behaviours happen, how do you feel?
Why do you think it has happened?
How are you feeling about what this means for
your life, the person’s life and your family?
What would help you and your family feel
stronger?
My Family and Community
Is your family
What would help your family to get good sleep?
Who can help you to try out your ideas for getting
good sleep?
My Family and Community
Is your family
getting good help
from your
What could your community do to help you?
Is there someone who can talk to your community
about getting help for you?
My Family and Community
Is your family’s
How can your services and community learn
about your family’s culture?
What could your services do to show respect for
your family’s culture?
My Family and Community
What do you need to happen so you can trust
your services?
Do you need help to talk to your services about
this?
Who could help you talk to your services about
this?
My Family and Community
Are
all your services
Are
all your services working together well to
help your family?
Have your services let you know about your
rights?
How could your community and your services
work better together to help your family and
the person?
My Communication
All people use their hands, eyes, body and voice to talk to
other people and to connect. People with disability may not use words as their main way of talking.
When other people don’t understand or notice what a person is saying, the person might get angry, frustrated or sad.
When a person doesn’t know what’s happening next, they may get anxious and worried. There are many different things people may do when they are feeling anxious and worried, including talking a lot, biting their nails and skin until they bleed, shaking their leg, spacing out, pulling their hair and running away.
My Communication
Do people know
With your group of people, make a list of all the ways the person lets you know what they want.
How can you help other people to know this information? Does the person need help to find more ways to ask for what they want, like symbols, pictures, photos, signs, pointing and technology?
My Communication
If you don’t use words, some people think you don’t need to connect or have conversations. That’s not right.
All people need to:
• know that other people care about them • feel included
• know what’s going on.
Sometimes the only way people can get attention from others is by having challenging behaviour.
Do you give the person attention and talk to them?
Do you need help to know how to give the person attention and talk to them? Who else needs this information?
My Communication
Do I have a way
to know what’s
People can feel anxious if they don’t know what is going to happen next in their life, what is expected of them, or when things are going to happen. When things feel out of control, people can feel worried.
Does the person have a routine for what’s important to them? Do you need help to make a routine for the person?
Does the person have a way to know what is happening now and in the future?
Do you need help to find ways to let the person know what is happening now and in the future?
My Communication
With your group, make a list of all the ways the person lets you know their choices, like using their eyes, pointing, saying words or making sounds, using technology or a Yes/No button.
Does the person need help to let others know their choices? Who can help the person get stronger at letting others know their choices?
How can your family get that help?
My Communication
Even when a person doesn’t use words, they still communicate how they feel by using their voice, eyes, face, body and
behaviour. For example, a person might move towards things they like or push away things they don’t like. Sometimes when other people don’t understand what the person is trying to say, they might say the person’s behaviour is challenging.
Do people know how the person lets others know • what they like and don’t like
• when they are feeling strong and safe • who they like being with
• when they have pain
My Relationships
When people don’t get to be with their
community or their family, they might feel sick,
sad, angry or lonely.
When people are lonely, they may show this in
their behaviour.
My Relationships
With your group, make a list of all the activities the person could be included in with their family and community.
What activities would the person especially like to be included in? (Look back at the ALL ABOUT ME poster).
What help does the family or the community need to include the person? eg better understanding about the person, equipment like a wheelchair, funding, a support person.
Who are the natural, go-to leaders in your family and community you could talk to about helping the person to be included?
My Relationships
With your group, make a list of all the people who the person would like to spend more time with.
What help is needed for the person to spend more time with those people? eg equipment, transport, a support person, funding, making a phone call.
My Relationships
It’s not respectful to speak about a person, in front of them, as if they are not there. People have the right to be spoken with, not about, when the conversation is about them. People have the right to have their privacy respected, and to not have their business talked about in front of them. People are more likely to get good help, and to feel strong and safe, when their helping people ask them about how to give good help.
Who is really good at talking with the person, and not leaving them out?
What can you learn from them?
My Relationships
With your group, make a list of the people who are important to the person and who they need to see.
They may be people who • they love
• they like doing things with • help them make decisions
• they have important relationships with • they have responsibilities for.
What’s stopping the person from getting to see these people? What help does the person need to get to see these people? Who can you talk to about getting this help?
My Relationships
Is the person included in community activities?
Who are the people in the community you
could talk to about the person being included in
community activities?
My Human Rights
In the past, people with disability have not been treated as equals. But that is changing. The United Nations says people with disability have the same rights as everyone else. Australia has signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The NDIS Act 2013 upholds the rights in the CRPD.
My Human Rights
Am I safe from
People with disability have the right to be safe from violence and abuse. This includes sexual abuse.
The NDIS Code of Conduct makes sure providers and workers respect people’s rights and privacy, deliver services with care and skill and raise any concerns quickly, act honestly, prevent violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and do not behave in a sexual way that is unwelcome or unprofessional.
My Human Rights
Communication Bill of Rights
I have the right …
People with disability have the right to make their own choices. Are you respecting all the person’s communication rights?
to be given
real choices and reject choicesto say no, refuse what I wantto ask for my feelingsto share
to be heard and responded to
(even if the answer is no)
to ask for and get attention and
interaction to ask and know
about my schedule and world
to have my speech system working and have a back up
to be a full member
of my community respect and dignityto be treated with to be spoken with, not about
to be communicated with in a sensitive manner to have and use
my speech system
My Human Rights
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities says people with disability have the right to:
• live in their community
• have equal choices to others • choose where they live
• who they live with.
My Human Rights
Is my right to
People with disability have the right to privacy, no matter where they live. The NDIS Code of Conduct ensures that people can access supports that respect and protect their dignity and right to privacy. Families using services also want their services to respect the privacy of their family business. Some people with disability have said:
• What we do in our room is our business
• We decide what others can know about our lives • No one can read our letters unless we say it’s ok
• No one can listen to our phone calls unless we say it’s ok
• We have the right to private and alone time with our girlfriend, boyfriend or partner.
• Helpers have no right to tell others what they know about us.
My Human Rights
People with disability have an equal right to work, in a job they choose, and to earn decent money.
If a person wants to get a job, the NDIS Code of Conduct says that their choice should be respected and they should be supported by their service to do this.
With your group, make a list of the things the person likes to do, which could become a job for them.
Jobs Joe likes to do
Where do those jobs need doing?
My Human Rights
People have the right to the best possible health care. What makes it difficult for the person to get good health care?
My Human Rights
People have an equal right to vote and have a say in laws and policies that affect them.
Who can you talk to about resources for learning about voting?
Who can help the person to:
• think about what issues are important to them • learn about how to vote
My Human Rights
The NDIS Code of Conduct upholds and respects individual rights to freedom of expression, self determination and
decision making. This might mean supporting a person even when they want to try something new and risky.
What makes it difficult for the person to get to do the things they like?
What help does the person’s family or community need to overcome these difficulties?
My Human Rights
It is not respectful or helpful to treat an person who is an adult as if they are a child.
People learn to be adults by the people around them • expecting them to act like adults
• talking to them like an adult • helping them to do adult things
My Restrictive Practices
Have people
stopped using
Is the person hurting themselves, or other people
or property?
Is the person quiet, sad or withdrawn?
My Restrictive Practices
Am I free of medicines
and chemicals used
to influence my
It’s not ok to use medicines to influence a person’s behaviour unless a doctor agrees.
Can you talk to your family, your community and your services about all working together and not using medicines or
chemicals to influence the person’s behaviour? Do you need help to do that?
Who can help you talk to others?
My Restrictive Practices
Can you talk to your family, your community, your
services or your school about all working together
and not putting the person in a place they can’t
leave?
Do you need help to do that?
Who can help you talk to these people?
My Restrictive Practices
Do people know it
is not ok to put
things on me to
Can you talk to your family, your community and
your services about all working together and not
putting things on a person to control them?
Do you need help to do that?
Who can help you talk to people?
My Restrictive Practices
Why can’t the person go where they want to go?
What, who or where does the person want to get
to, or away from?
What would make it safe or ok for the person to
go where they want to go?
My Restrictive Practices
What help is needed to make sure that when the person is having challenging behaviour, everyone speaks to them • without yelling?
• by including them and not leaving them out? • without using scary stories?
My Restrictive Practices
What does the person want to get?
Why can’t the person get what they want?
Who or what is stopping the person from getting
what they want?
What would make it safe or possible for the
person to have what they want?
My Restrictive Practices
